A personal experience with a plane crash is the seed for this novel set in Antarctica. Joel Stevenson is a history professor visiting the frozen continent. Asked to accompany a civilian plane tour, he accepts despite premonitions; the flight does crash, and everyone else is killed. A second trip shortly thereafter to scatter the ashes of some of the dead also crashes, and again Stevenson is a survivor. The tale is about this unfortunate s thoughts concerning his survival, the people he meets, the impact Antarctica has on him, and the brooding presence of smoldering Mt. Erebus. The dialogue is stilted, but the emotions are true. Overflight is not about survival so much as dealing with internal demons. The introspection and the exotic locale combine to make it a serious consideration for purchase.W. Keith McCoy, Dowdell Lib., South Amboy, N.J.